Chapter 8 - The Price of Power
Maeve gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "Elias... what are you doing? Your legs—"
"My legs are fine, Maeve," Elias said, his voice steady as he took a slow, deliberate step away from the desk toward her. "Dr. Keller cleared me two weeks ago. The injury was minor. I could walk the day after the crash."
Maeve stared at him, bewildered and hurt flooding through her chest. "You lied to me? All this time, you were walking when you were alone? Why?!"
"To test the world," Elias said, closing the distance between them until he was standing right in front of her. He reached out, his warm, calloused fingers gently wiping a tear from her cheek. "My uncle Salvatore told me that power makes it impossible to know who loves you. I wanted to see who would stay when the world got smaller. Sienna failed on day one. But you..."
He looked down at her with a depth of emotion that made her breath catch.
"You stayed when you had every reason to run. You yelled at me, you fought with me, you challenged me, and you cared for me when I was acting like a bitter monster. You didn't love the crime boss, Maeve. You didn't love the empire or the twelve-carat ring. You loved me."
Maeve looked up into his eyes, the anger melting away, replaced by an overwhelming, aching wave of relief and love. "I hated you half the time," she whispered with a watery smile.
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"I know," Elias murmured, a genuine, warm smile finally breaking across his face. "And I deserved it."
Before Maeve could say another word, Elias pulled her into his arms, wrapping her tightly against his chest. His lips met hers in a deep, fierce, unhurried kiss that washed away every lie, every fear, and every shadow of the past.
